Biography
15 October 1906, Houston, Texas, USA, d. 3 October 1976, New York City, New York, USA. Spivey was recording at the age of 19, and enjoyed early hits with ‘Black Snake Blues’, ‘Dope Head Blues’ and ‘T.B. Blues’, all sung in her unmistakable nasal, acidic tones. She worked as a songwriter for a St. Louis based publishing company in the late 20s, and recorded for a series of labels including Decca Records, OKeh Records, and Vocalion Records until 1937. She also worked with Louis Armstrong, appeared in the early black film musical Hallelujah!, and worked in vaudeville until her retirement in the early 50s. In 1960, Spivey made a comeback, still writing remarkable songs, which she usually accompanied on piano or ukulele. She founded the Spivey label in 1962, issuing some valuable recordings, and the first featured Bob Dylan as an accompanist. Others were by inferior artists and/or poorly recorded. Spivey was...
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